


Of shelters and comfort

by Asukan



Category: Naruto
Genre: Awkwardness, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Forehead Kisses, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Oblivious Hatake Kakashi, POV Hatake Kakashi, Pining, Post-War, Pre-Relationship, Sharing a Bed, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26034769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asukan/pseuds/Asukan
Summary: On their way home from a mission, a storm breaks out and Kakashi and Naruto seek shelter in a small inn.But, of course, there is only one room left and it only has one bed. Oh no. What a shame, Kakashi thinks.Problem is that the room is still draughty, Kakashi is cold and Naruto is always so very warm. There is only one thing to do.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 38
Kudos: 455





	Of shelters and comfort

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Panlock](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panlock/gifts).



> This is just something short and sweet I wrote in an attempt to write something soft.
> 
> Sometimes we need a break from the involved plot and drama and just read one of those stories with a classic fanfiction trope.
> 
> Written for Panlock, who deserved something sweet and cute. I figured this might be fluffy enough.
> 
> It's also written in a few hours, to make my self-imposed deadline. I'll probably have to revisit it for some polish, but I wanted to post it before going to bed.

A bolt of lightning struck close enough for Kakashi’s nose to pick up the clean, crisp smell of ozone through the strong scent of petrichor that surrounded them. The resulting thunder came before the light had stopped flashing around them, illuminating everything in stark detail. 

"Sensei, can we stop at this inn please?” Naruto said in a low voice, tugging at the hood of his cloak to try and shield himself entirely from the pouring rain. “The mission is done, and we’re in no hurry, right?”

Kakashi looked on as Naruto furtively drew his cloak closer to his body with his prosthetic arm. The fingers looked stiff and Kakashi wondered if the cold and wet made the joints in it lock up. 

“Sure, we can rest until the weather clears up,” Kakashi said, and leapt down to the gravel road beneath them. There was a sign pointing down the left fork, advertising a small inn. Kakashi had stayed at it before. It was nothing special, more of a house with some extra rooms rather than a proper ryokan, but anything would be warmer than putting up a tent in the middle of a storm. 

They started walking down the path, wrapping their cloaks tight around them to keep as dry as possible. 

Their mission had been a success, of course. Tsunade had sent both of two of them on an escort mission on the behalf of a wealthy lord. Far beneath their skill, but the lord had paid handsomely to be guarded by the saviour of the world and his former sensei, the next Hokage. Kakashi also suspected that Tsunade wanted to send him out into the cold and wet once more before he finally took the hat from her, as a punishment for not agreeing to the position as soon as the war was over.

“We’re still a few days away from Konoha,” Naruto grumbled. “I can’t wait for proper food.”

“You mean ramen?” Kakashi said, smiling at the hungry look on Naruto’s face.

“Of course!” 

“Unfortunately this inn didn’t serve ramen the last time I stayed there,” Kakashi said and smirked as Naruto’s hopeful smile fell. “But any food is better than rations.”

Naruto nodded. “Especially Sakura-chan’s experimental ration balls.”  
  
Kakashi winced as he remembered the latest batch. “At least they are more nutritious than the normal ones so we need to eat less of them?”

“To be fair,” Naruto said and rubbed his chin with a thoughtful look. “The latest ones weren’t that bad.”  
  
“Only if you compare them to the first ones,” Kakashi replied. “These smelled stronger than the last, even if the taste was a lot better.”

His student looked at him with a sympathetic smile. “Ah, of course, your sense of smell. Was it that bad?”

Kakashi grimaced in response and thought it best not to go into detail about what they had smelled like. “Let’s just say that the taste of the last batch and the smell of the previous one would make me happy. If Sakura manages that, they’ll be the most popular soldier pill to come out of Konoha.”

“At least we suffer being her test subjects for a noble cause then, sensei!”  
  
“I was her test subject for when she needed to practice healing humans,” Kakashi said, thinking back to the years where both Sakura and he had wandered around Konoha, lonely in a crowd. “I preferred that over this.”

“Aww, your poor nose,” Naruto cooed and patted his shoulder. Kakashi stiffened to prevent himself from leaning closer. It was tempting to lean into Naruto’s steady warmth and even more so when he realised that Naruto’s hand stayed on his shoulder as the owner came to a stop. 

Kakashi followed his gaze and saw the small building through the fog of heavy rainfall. 

“That’s an inn?” Naruto exclaimed, “It’s so small!”

Kakashi smiled and shrugged. “Well, it’s an old lady who rents out some rooms in her house more so than an inn. But the next closest one is hours away still at top speed.”

The hand on his shoulder withdrew as Naruto huffed and walked towards the blurry shape. Kakashi did his best not to miss the touch as he followed.

As they knocked on the door Kakashi glanced at the windows along the wall and frowned as he noticed that one of them stood open. Probably to air out the empty room before new guests showed up because anyone staying in the room would surely have closed it as the storm started. Kakashi sighed as he prepared himself for a cold and damp room. 

The door creaked open and they looked down at the weathered face of Kimura Akari. The heavy lines around her eyes and mouth wrinkled in a smile as she looked at Kakashi.

“Welcome back, Shinobi-san,” she said and held out two pairs of slippers. “Come in, come in and dry!”

“Thank you, Kimura-san,” Kakashi said and followed the woman inside, with Naruto trailing after him. They slipped off their sandals and put on the slippers. Then they put their sandals on a nearby shelf. 

“Give me your cloaks,” Akari said, holding out her hands. “I’ll hang them up to dry and then ”

Kakashi took off his thick cloak and folded it up to keep the wet outer layer on the inside. It seemed rude to hand over a sopping wet piece of fabric to such a frail-looking woman. Next to him, Naruto had done the same. Kakashi handed over their cloaks to their host with a bow of his head. She shuffled away with them before returning soon after with a grin.

“I have a room,” Akari said and started leading them down a hallway. “Only one futon though, Shinobi-san. But it is a big one. You’ll both fit. Come, come, I’ll bring you some food once you’ve settled in. Miso and rice fine?”

Kakashi glanced over his shoulder at Naruto to see how he’d react to having to share bedding for the night, but the younger man seemed to mostly focus on the food.  
  
“Something to eat would be great, oba-chan!” Naruto said, eyes closed in happiness as he walked behind Kakashi. “I am starving!”

“Of course you are, young men need plenty of food,” Akari said, nodding and looking pleased. She walked up to the last door in the hallway and patted Kakashi’s arm. "I’ll make you boys some rice and soup.”

“Thank you, Kimura-san.”  
  
Naruto grinned and gave her a thumbs up. “Thanks, oba-chan!”

Kakashi shook his head, but Akari didn’t seem to mind Naruto’s rudeness, so he slid open the door and strode up to the open window to shut it. His suspicions had been correct. The room was colder and more draughty than he’d preferred, but it was dry. And the futon looked inviting.

Naruto walked over to a cabinet and dug out a towel. “Here you go, sensei!”

Kakashi caught the towel and wrapped it around his shoulders like a blanket. The cloak had kept him dry, but he had never been a big fan of the cold.  
  
He looked on as Naruto took off his jacket and hitai-ate and put them on a chest near the futon. Of course, Naruto wouldn’t feel cold. The blond had always run hot and would sleep on none the wiser as they camped outside in the cold. Kakashi narrowed his eyes as Naruto sat down on the floor and looked at him with a grin, looking completely unbothered by the chill in the room.  
  
“Was this your last mission before you’ll become Hokage, sensei?”  
  
He nodded. “Unless a mission that is specifically tailored for my skills turns up, yes.”

“Not too bad of a mission then, sensei, if a bit boring,” Naruto said, and shuffled closer until he sat with his back to Kakashi’s legs. Since Kakashi didn’t move away, he found himself with Naruto leaned against his knees, functioning much like a small space heater. Kakashi looked down at the fluffy blond hair and wondered if the other would mind if Kakashi curled around him, to have that delicious heat spread evenly.

Rather than to give in to temptation, he reached down and ruffled Naruto’s hair and smiled at how Naruto leaned into the touch. “No, it wasn’t a bad mission. The client paid well to be escorted by us both, so while it wasn’t exciting, it will help Konoha greatly.”

“I’m glad,” Naruto said and arched his back to put his head in Kakashi’s lap and grinned at him, upside down. Kakashi kept his hand still in shock and it ended up resting against the smooth skin of Naruto’s temple. “I liked being able to go on your last one with you, sensei. Since I couldn’t come along to the airship one.”

Kakashi looked down into smiling blue eyes and didn’t know what to say. He drew his hand back and hummed.

Naruto yawned, showing off sharp canines, before lifting his head again and looking at the door, hand rubbing his stomach. 

“I’m almost tired enough to sleep without food,” he said with a hint of a whine. 

Kakashi scented the air and smiled. Behind the petrichor clinging to them both and Naruto’s familiar scent, he caught the telltale smell of miso coming from the hallway. 

“No need to worry about that, Naruto,” he said and nudged at the strong back in front of him with a knee. “Food is ready.”

Naruto sprung up with a happy sound and walked up to the door. As soon as the soft knock came, he slid it open and greeted Akari who walked in with a loaded tray. She placed it on the floor in front of Kakashi and bowed to him.  
  
“There we are, food for you both,” she said and looked over at Naruto with a large enough smile to show a missing tooth. “I hope it is enough.”  
  
“It looks plenty, Kimura-san. Thank you.”

As the lady closed the door behind her, Naruto moved the tray over a bit to sit down in his previous spot. Then he grabbed a bowl of soup and rice, before holding up the tray for Kakashi to grab.  
  
“Thanks for the food!” the blond said and dug into his food with a happy sigh. 

Kakashi smiled down at the sight and lowered his mask to enjoy the food for himself. He kept looking at Naruto as he ate because he wouldn’t put it past Naruto to try and catch a glimpse of his face still. 

They enjoyed their meal in silence because they were both too hungry to do anything but doing their level best to inhale the food. It didn’t take long for Naruto to lean back against Kakashi legs again with a contented sigh. Then he poured them both some tea and held up a cup for his sensei. 

“I was so hungry that rice almost tasted as good as Ichiraku,” Naruto mused as he sipped on the tea. 

Chamomile and honey. Kakashi took the proffered cup and sniffed it, enjoying the soft smell. The porcelain was thin enough to let some heat seep into his fingers and he hummed at the sensation, pleased. He drank it in a few gulps before looking down at Naruto. 

Now that the younger man sat with nothing to do, Kakashi noticed how he held his right arm a bit more stiffly than his left.

“How is your arm, Naruto?”

Naruto’s shoulder blades tensed against his knees as the blond reached up with his left hand to rub the back of his neck. “It’s not that bad, sensei. It just acts up when it rains sometimes. It’ll be fine in the morning.”  
  
“You don’t have any ointment for it?” Kakashi asked, frowning because he knew that either Tsunade, Shizune or Sakura would have made Naruto a salve if he’d ever complained about the arm.

“Not with me on missions, no,” Naruo answered, shaking his head. “But it’s not that bad, sensei. I’ll just unwrap it before bed and that’ll help some.”

Kakashi frowned, but he also realised that Naruto would know better than him how to deal with a lost limb. So he just nudged at Naruto again to have him move forward and then got up. 

“Let’s head to bed then,” he said and headed over to his packs to pull out a clean pair of standard-issue pants and one of his normal shirts. “I’m exhausted as well.”

Naruto followed and grabbed a large t-shirt and one of his many pairs of orange pants. As they changed, Kakashi made sure to turn his back to Naruto. He wasn’t masochistic enough to look at a half-naked Naruto while bone-tired. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to control himself.

Kakashi did glance over as Naruto started grumbling about stupid bandages as he unwrapped his right arm. The skin was as ivory white as it had been on the day of the operation, but now the flesh had healed together and the transition from Naruto’s golden skin to the artificially white of the prosthetic looked near seamless.

“It’s healed nicely,” Kakashi said, gesturing to the arm. 

“Yeah, it almost feels like my real one,” Naruto said, flexing the fingers of his right hand. “It doesn’t work quite right, and I still gotta do some stuff with my left, but I’m getting used to it.”

“Maa, that’s good to hear.”

Kakashi walked over to the futon and looked in dismay at the thin blankets covering the mattress. He went over to the cupboard where Naruto had found the towels but saw no extra linens. 

There had been plenty of times when Kakashi had been forced to sleep in worse conditions than on a mattress in a chilly but dry room, so he slid under the thin blanket and closed his eyes.  
  
Naruto settled down next to him and curled on his side, facing away from Kakashi. It did not take long until soft snores emitted from the blond. After a while, Naruto started to mutter something indistinguishable and Kakashi glanced over at his companion. He couldn’t make out the words, but it didn’t sound like it was a nightmare. 

He drew the blanket closer to his chin and started on the breathing exercises he had learned in the ANBU. In through his nose, hold it for ten seconds, then out again.  
  
There was an obvious problem with the breathing exercise that he had not considered in his exhaustion. It was hard to empty his mind with Naruto’s scent clinging to everything around him. And he was still cold. 

Naruto stopped muttering in his sleep and started moving around in his sleep instead, flopping his limbs around. He had always been a restless sleeper. Oh. Wait. Kakashi looked at Naruto’s back and thought back to how warm he had been before during their meal. And he remembered that time in the hospital when Naruto had taken the bed next to his to wait for Kakashi’s recovery. Naruto had slept the soundest as he had curled around a large doll in Kakashi's likeness. Kakashi’s cold body, tired mind and aching heart whispered in unison, for once, and suggested that Kakashi might do as a replacement pillow. It would be torturous, but he would be warm and Naruto would quiet down. 

Kakashi cursed under his breath as he realised he was, in fact, that desperate to sleep. He sat up on the mattress and leaned over to turn on the lamp next to Naruto’s head. One hand reached behind himself, ready to pull out an Icha Icha and pretend like he wanted to read if Naruto woke up. There was no need to worry as Naruto didn’t react to Kakashi looming over him. Kakashi smiled at the unconscious show of trust. Then he slowly leaned back and lied down again, listening with bated breath as Naruto started grumbling as he woke up due to the fluorescent light shining into his face, "Five more minutes, Kakashi-sensei." 

It shouldn’t be long now. Kakashi angled his head towards Naruto to be able to hear better as he stayed still, waiting for Naruto to come closer. Then the futon dipped as Naruto, grumbling about bright light, inched closer to Kakashi. 

Naruto's warmth carefully settled close to him. Of course, Naruto would try not to wake his sensei. Kakashi smiled and inhaled the scent from that fluffy hair right by his nose. Then he hardly breathed as Naruto burrowed his face against Kakashi's shoulder to block out the light. 

He waited. Then he heard the soft snores. Shortly after Naruto moved even closer and wrapped both an arm and a leg around Kakashi. It seemed like Kakashi did make for a decent replacement for a pillow as Naruto relaxed as soon as he’d trapped Kakashi in his arms. Not that Kakashi minded whatsoever.

Unfortunately, the side not covered by the delicious heater of his own personal bolster was still cold. It only took some gentle encouragement for Naruto to roll on top of Kakashi, covering him entirely in that lovely, lovely warmth.

Kakashi fell asleep shortly after summoning a clone to put out the light. 

_____

In the morning, Kakashi woke up feeling comfortable and well-rested. There was a warm weight on top of him, but it registered as safe rather than constricting. Naruto’s scent was in his nose and he breathed in, feeling strands of hair tickling his face through his mask. Kakashi stilled as he remembered just what he had done the previous evening to get some rest.

It was comfortable though, waking up next to Naruto. Or well, waking up with Naruto on top of him, face smushed into Kakashi’s neck.

He did his best not to shiver as he felt Naruto’s lips brush against his pulse as the other man grumbled about not wanting to wake up just yet. It was rare that Kakashi ever wished that his mask wasn’t there, but of course, Naruto was an exception to that rule as well. 

There was a leg tangled with his, a hand slipped under his shirt, a tickling breath against his neck and Naruto's warmth and steady weight all around him. Kakashi wanted to prolong the moment. 

But nothing lasts forever. 

He felt when Naruto woke up because the younger man froze against Kakashi’s chest as awareness crept in. Then he heard a gasp as Naruto realised who he was wrapped around. And, perhaps, that his hand rested against Kakashi’s skin rather than the fabric of his shirt. Kakashi felt the hand twitch against his side, over one of his many scars, and the fingers danced along the ridge. 

Then the hand withdrew with the utmost care. It was clear that Naruto hoped that Kakashi was still asleep. It would be for the best to pretend to sleep. To ignore how nice Naruto felt wrapped around him and how quickly his former student had fallen asleep in his arms. He knew it would be for the best. He had managed to bury any impulse to reach out for Naruto for over a year now. It shouldn't be hard to pretend like it had meant nothing. His heart shouldn't pound in his chest at how Naruto still sprawled on top of him.   
  
This was why he changed his breathing from sleep heavy to awake and slowly blinked awake. His mind screamed at him to go back to sleep, to pretend it was all fine and that Naruto was not for him. Kakashi knew this, he did, but he also felt how Naruto had not pulled away yet.

"Oh... I... I didn't mean-" Naruto said, pulling away slightly and blushing as he looked down at how high up Kakashi's thigh his leg had climbed in sleep. Kakashi rather liked it and made no move to push Naruto away even as a part of him told him to do so, right now. Before Naruto would _know._

"Mah, it's alright,” he said, smiling and pretending to yawn. “It kept you still during the night."

Naruto didn’t meet his eyes and looked at the sheets with great interest. "Oh, heh, I see..."

Kakashi frowned down at the younger man and noted both the blush and how those blue, blue eyes refused to meet his own. Was the blush out of embarrassment or disgust?

"Naruto?" 

Naruto curled into himself and started to pull away. 

Kakashi sighed at the sight and shook his head. "What's the matter? It's just sharing a bed for warmth. It's only natural you move closer to someone else as you sleep. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Had I realised you were that uncomfortable with the idea I'd slept on the floor."

Naruto said nothing and sat up with hunched shoulders, looking miserable. Kakashi chastised himself for taking advantage of his former student if it made him this uncomfortable. He had only planned to leach some heat from the blond, but would never have done it if he had known that Naruto would avoid him afterwards. 

"That's not it," Naruto muttered, twisting the sheet under his hands.

"Hm?" Kakashi sat up as well, glancing over at how Naruto’s fingers plucked at a loose thread in the blanket. 

"I'm... I didn't," Naruto said and whiskered cheeks grew redder. He shook his head, looking annoyed.

Kakashi waited. 

Naruto took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, finally looking Kakashi in the eyes again. "I didn't think I'd like it so much."

Kakashi looked at him, feeling confused. Was Naruto ashamed of being starved for touch after a lonely childhood? "Cuddling?"

Naruto chuckled. Then he smiled and it almost reached his eyes. "No, waking up next to you, sensei."

Kakashi stilled. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, drowning out most sounds. He lied back down again, but on his side this time and patted the space right in front of him. 

"We have nowhere to be today," he said and looked up at Naruto, heart feeling like it was about to burst out of his chest. “We can stay in bed for a while.”

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "What?"

Kakashi lifted his arm in an invitation. The soft smile that broke out on Naruto’s face made him smile right back, helpless to do anything else as his chest swelled with joy.  
  
The futon dipped again as Naruto shuffled closer and lied down facing Kakashi. As that warm, familiar body settled down next to him, Kakashi wrapped his arm around a slim waist and pulled him even closer. Burrowed his face in that soft, soft hair. Breathed in through his nose, luxuriating in Naruto’s scent, and exhaled in a pleased hum. 

Then he placed a hand to a whiskered cheek, stroking the marks with a curious touch. When Naruto didn’t pull away, he took a deep breath before kissing the skin underneath his lips. Then hid his smile in silky-smooth hair when he felt the skin under his hand heat up and felt Naruto move closer as an arm slinked under Kakashi's shirt to wrap around his waist. A curious hand found its way to a scar on his lower back, and it idly traced the knotted skin.

Kakashi closed his eyes and was about to go back to sleep again as the hand resting against Naruto’s cheek was pulled down to Naruto’s lips for a kiss. Then shorter fingers tangled with his and he felt Naruto smile against the back of his hand. He pressed another kiss to Naruto’s forehead, before tugging the blankets tighter around them both. 

They had a few more hours before they needed to get going. And Kakashi found himself unwilling to move.


End file.
